Death in Terabithia
by J. A. West
Summary: A brief account detailing the events in the death of Leslie Burke. Inspiration taken from the 2007 film adaptation. Note from the author: This is my attempt to confront the depression I was overcome with as a result of Leslie's death in the movie.


_#The following events take place approx. mid morning on the day of Leslie Burke's death, at the rope swing to Terabithia.#  
_

* * *

Leslie, who to spite being disappointed in Jesse's absence that morning, was smiling in that way she typically does. As she slowly reached for the rope, intending to swing into Terabithia, she couldn't help but notice how wet it was, still drenched from the rain that previous night.  
Being care free as usual, she shrugged it off and smiled, _"I guess I'm going to get a little wet today"_, she said to herself, following up with a slight giggle. Pulling the rope around, she stepped up on top of the log and prepared to swing. Bending down ever so slightly she immediately popped into the air before quickly pulling her legs up and placing her feet on the lower knot of the rope. 

As she began to swing forward she started to lean her head back with the idea in mind that she would pretend she was flying, just as she had done the first time she and Jesse had found the rope swing and went over to Terabithia.  
Her weight, which couldn't have been anything more than a mere 85 lbs, quickly began to stress the weakened rope.  
There was an expression of happiness on her face as she looked up to the sky, the current angle of her gaze staring almost directly at the point to which the rope was tied to the tree.  
It was at just that moment the rope gave way, snapping just above where she was holding it near the top knot. The broken off portion of rope she was currently attached to whiped back towards her, the wet frayed end slightly misting her face as she fell to earth.  
The image of the rope breaking had barely registering itself in her mind as the look of contentment on her face quickly began turning to one of dread and uncertainty.

Leslie scantly had time to understand what had just happened as the back of her head came into contact with the sharp edge of a rock sticking out of the bank from which she had just a moment ago swung. The young girl was instantly knocked unconscious, the momentum of the swing hurtling her into the creek. As she splashed in, a gash on the back of her head, caused by the impact with the hard surface of the rock, bloodied the water around her in a cloud of crimson before swiftly being swept away by the current of the stream.  
Water started to rise over her face and entered in through her mouth. As it did, she began to cough violently and her body convulsed, fighting vigorously to expel the invading water. Though a commendable effort on her part, it was simply too little to prevent what was to come.  
She remained unconscious as her lungs filled with the fluid, drowning her ever so slowly. Deprived of oxygen her body began to shut down. It wouldn't be long now, perhaps only a matter of moments, before everything that made her special, made her unique, that is to say her essence, her soul, would be gone forever.

Unconscious and quickly fading away, her mind struggled to assemble one final message. It was but a single thought that echoed through her, searching franticly for a way to be heard.  
What was this one final thing she so desperately needed to say? What was so important that it warranted the use of her final dying thought?  
The single thing she wanted to project through all of time and space was simply, _"Jesse, I love you"_.  
This message however would unfortunately never be heard. As the last neurons shut down, Leslie along with her message, silently slipping away into nothingness.

Her now lifeless body lay there in the cold water of the creek, slowly continuing to bleed from the head wound she had received. There she quietly waited for some unfortunate soul to happen by and find her, the only audible sound being that of the water which had just taken her life.


End file.
